Zola said of Bellamy: "I will give him a good reception because on and off the pitch he was such an important player for me.

"I don't know what happened behind the scenes. The only thing I can say is that we missed him. He was a good player for us."

While Zola said some fans may still have feelings over the manner in which Bellamy departed, he was in no doubt about the welcome waiting for Carlos Tevez. "I am 100 per cent convinced that Tevez is going to get a very good reception because he has done such a good job for this club."